‘He’s been sitting…’: Ravi Shastri blasts BCCI for mishandling Mohammed Shami situation

Ravi Shastri slammed the BCCI for Mohammed Shami’s poor recovery, claiming that the fast bowler should have been sent to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
There was a lot of speculation prior to the Australian tour regarding Mohammed Shami’s inclusion in the team. After being excluded at first, there were rumors that he may be flown in right before the Boxing Day Test, but that didn’t happen. Consequently, India suffered their first Test series loss against Australia in ten years, lost the series 3-1, and relinquished the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ravi Shastri, the former coach of India, voiced his displeasure with the way the BCCI handled the Shami situation. He thought that Shami’s return might have changed how the series turned out. Shastri believed Shami could have been extensively watched in Australia and summoned up to play when needed because he was actively playing domestic cricket.
“To be honest, I was very surprised with the communication going on in the media as to what exactly happened to Mohammed Shami. Where is he when it comes to recovery?” he said in the latest The ICC Review.
“He’s been sitting in the NCA for I don’t know how long. Why can’t proper communication come out on where he stands? A player of his ability, I would have brought him to Australia. I would have kept him part of the team and made sure that his rehabilitation was done with the team. And then if we thought by the third Test match that no, this guy can’t play the rest of the series, I would let him go,’ he added.
“But I would have brought him with the team, kept him, monitored him with the best of the physios and best of the advice even from international physios who are in Australia and seeing how he went. But I would have kept him in the mix. “It got so tight at 1-1 going into Melbourne. You just needed that experience and support. For all you know, he might have raised the bar as well. And it would have been the two guys there (Bumrah and Shami). Pat Cummins couldn’t have done it on his own; Scotty Boland had to step in. So you needed a bowler of his experience. You know, as hard as Mohammed Siraj tried, you needed Shami’s experience there,” he went on to say.
When India lost to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Shami made his final appearance for the country in any format. The 2023 World Test Championship Final against Australia, which India again lost, was his most recent Test match. His final T20I match was the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal defeat to England. Time is not on his side as he turns 35 this year. Whether he is healthy for the forthcoming Champions Trophy will be interesting to watch.
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